The Agriculture and Livestock Service (SAG) recently informed the Ministry of Agriculture that the Chinese market had lifted quarantine measures for the regions in Chile that have been affected by fruit fly.
In practice, this means China has lifted the measures currently affecting the regions of Coquimbo, Valparaiso, and Metropolitan, so producers won’t have to apply quarantine treatments and will save direct costs on exporting grapes, blueberries, apples, kiwis, and plums to the Asian nation. Additionally, the measure will allow the major production areas of Hass avocado, which were unable to export their products to the Chinese market, given the constraints for this specie, to export Hass avocado to that market.
"The result is that, starting now, the Chinese market is open to all of our products. It was open for many products, but this particularly favors avocados, which was our main concern, "said the Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Furche.
In this regard, the national director of SAG, Angel Sartori, said that "this is an issue of the utmost importance because, from the standpoint of the national economy, it opens huge business opportunities for our producers and, additionally, it is a recognition to the serious and systematic work performed by the SAG with AQSIQ to achieve the implementation of this protocol for fruit fly events, which had been agreed in 2009, but that is now officially endorsed."
Background
In July this year, the SAG received a delegation of four experts from China who came to know the work being performed by the SAG in case there was an outbreak of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) and were able to see how the 27.2 km radius regulated quarantine area was implemented in the field.
"This effort, the many years of work and commitment, and the good performance or our service is being recognized by China, so we would like to share this good news with all the national export sector," stated the director of SAG.
According to data from ASOEX, in the 2014-2015 season (September 1, 2014 to August 31, 2015), Chile exported more than 68,000 tons of avocado to various international markets, 67,626 tons of which were of the Hass variety. The main market for Chilean avocado was Europe, with over 45,000 tons, followed by Latin America with 10,098 tons, the United States and the Far East.
The general manager of Exportadora Santa Cruz, Javier Fuchslocher, said that, "although the avocado is not a basic consumption product in China, we believe consumption will gradually grow. China now consumes between 20 and 30 containers of avocado per week and this could multiply by ten soon."
